This
temple, also called
Great Buddha Temple
(Dafosi), is situated
inside the western gate
of Jixian County. It was
first built in the Tang
Dynasty. Its main
building, the Goddess of
Mercy Pavilion
(Guanyinge), was rebuilt
in A.D. 984 during the
Liao Dynasty. The two –
storied wooden pavilion
is twenty-three meters
high, and so well
designed that it has
withstood the test of
several earthquakes and
remains intact to this
day. It is one of the
oldest and
best–preserved tall
wooden structures in
China. The pavilion
contains a standing
statue of the Guanyin
Bodhisattva with the
heads of ten small
Buddhas above it. The
sixteen–meter–high
statue is known as the
“Eleven–Face Guanyin,”
one of the largest
painted clay sculptures
in China. Flanking it
are two ferocious and
gigantic guardians,
which, together with the
heavenly guardians
inside the gate, are
masterpieces of Liao
Dynasty sculpture.